We’re less than a week away from Election Day, held on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The Municipal and Referendum Election and State of Maine General Election are held annually on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Voting will take place at the Scarborough High School from 7 a.m. yo 8 p.m. Look for the large “Vote Here” signs at the entrance.
There will be four ballots: one State General Election Ballot, one Municipal General/Referendum Election Ballot and two Municipal Charter Ballots. All ballots will be two-sided. Be sure to double check when voting that you have voted on both sides of the ballots.
On the ballot for the municipal election, candidates are running for two seats on Town Council (three-year terms), Board of Education (one-year term and three-year term), and Sanitary District (three-year term). All candidates are running uncontested; the number of candidates running for each seat is equal to the number of seats available. Learn more about the candidates by viewing the Oct. 13 Candidates Night, sponsored by the Scarborough Community Chamber of Commerce, on the Scarborough Maine Public Meetings YouTube channel.
In addition to filling the elected position vacancies, there are two items on the ballot that have come to referendum for voter approval: the library expansion project, and proposed amendments to the Town Charter.
All capital expenditures over $400,000 require voter approval per Town Charter. The following question will be on the ballot: Shall the Order entitled “Order authorizing renovation, expansion, and equipping of Scarborough Public Library, authorizing issuance of up to $12,938,995 in general obligation bonds of the Town of Scarborough and appropriating the bond proceeds for the project” be approved? Learn more about the expansion project through the Scarborough Public Library website.
There is also a referendum for proposed amendments to the Town Charter. There are seven total referendum questions on the ballot. Proposed amendments include salary increases for Town Council and Board of Education; an adjustment to annual audit requirement timeline; giving Town Council the discretion to fill a Board of Education vacancy within six months of the next regular Town election with a special election; further specifying budget line items; amendments to the preparation and submission of the budget; moving the Board of Education election from November to June; requiring voter referendum on long-term financial obligations greater than $600,000. View specific proposed amendments on the sample ballots listed on the Elections page of our website.
Early voting has been available in Town Hall since Oct. 11 and ends Nov. 3 (early voting on the Friday or Monday before the election requires a special circumstance — contact the Clerk’s office for details). Absentee ballots are still being accepted; drop off your ballot in person during business hours or via the absentee ballot drop box at the Town Hall entrance no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voter registration remains available in-person at the Town Clerk’s Office for new voters or for existing Scarborough voters to change their address or name. Please bring a Government issued ID and something with your Scarborough address, if your ID does not have it. Additionally, the State of Maine offers same-day voter registration and can be completed at the polls on Election Day.
For further information and to view sample ballots, please contact the Scarborough Town Clerk’s Office at 730-4020 and visit the Elections page of our Town website.
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